With the spread of the new coronavirus in the United States, people are paying more attention to keeping clean and sterile than ever. People also know that their smartphones and other devices may carry many kinds of bacteria, so it is very important to clean these gadgets from time to time.
But how should you clean your smartphone or tablet? First of all, how worried should you be about infecting or spreading viruses such as COVID-19 through a trusted smartphone? The following is what the experts say.
Research shows everything from Staphylococcus to E. coli. E. coli can thrive on the glass screen of a smartphone. At the same time, COVID-19 can survive on the surface for several hours to more than a week, depending on the conditions.
If you want to kill these bacteria, it’s okay to drink some alcohol. At least, it won’t be hurt now, because companies like Apple have recently changed their stance on using alcohol-based wipes and similar disinfecting products on their devices.
In the case of Apple, it is still recommended to wipe your device clean with a slightly damp, lint-free cloth. But it changed the previous recommendation to avoid using disinfectants-instead of warning the use of harsh chemicals, claiming that these products may peel off the oleophobic coating on your phone, Apple now says that those with problematic wetness The towel is transparent.
“Using 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes or Clorox disinfecting wipes, you can gently wipe the outer surface of the iPhone,” Apple said on its updated support page. “Don’t use bleach. Avoid getting any openings wet, and don’t immerse the iPhone in any cleaner.”
Apple states that you can use the same disinfection products on the “hard, non-porous surface” of Apple devices, but you should not use them on any items made of fabric or leather. Other chemicals such as chlorine and bleach are too irritating and can damage your screen. The advice to avoid other cleaning products (such as Purell or compressed air) still applies. (All these suggestions apply more or less to other companies’ gadgets.)
Even if approved by the manufacturer, will cleaning products still damage your phone? Yes, but only if you use them to scrub your screen frantically-so remember to use all the wipes to relax.
Experts say that if you do not maintain good hygiene in other ways, keeping your phone clean will not help. So remember to wash your hands often, don’t touch your face, etc.
“Of course, if you are worried about your phone, you can disinfect your phone,” said Dr. Donald Schaffner, a professor of food science at Rutgers University and co-host of Risky or Not. This is a podcast about “daily risks” “Bacteria. “But more importantly, stay away from people who are sick, and wash and disinfect your hands.” These may reduce risks more than disinfecting mobile phones. ”
Schaffner also said that compared with the risk of being close to someone who has already contracted the disease, the possibility of getting a virus such as COVID-19 from a mobile phone is very small. But it’s okay to keep the phone clean, he said. “If you have a hundred [bacteria] on your fingers, and you stick your fingers into a wet area like your nose, you have now transferred the dry surface to the wet surface,” Schaffner said. “And you might be very effective in transferring those hundred creatures on your fingers to your nose.”
Should you invest in a cool UV cell phone disinfectant that you may have used in Instagram ads? Probably not. Ultraviolet light is effective against some other viruses, but we do not yet know how it will affect COVID-19. Considering that cheap alcohol wipes can do the job well, these gadgets are very expensive. “If you think it’s cool and want to buy one, go for it,” Schaffner said. “But please don’t buy it because you think it is better than other technologies.”
Post time: Aug-24-2021